Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) vs. SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
RDCMan
Score 6.9 out of 10
N/A
RDCMan, or Remote Desktop Connection Manager from Microsoft, is a utility for managing multiple remote desktop connections. Once shut down due to a vulnerability in version 2.7, RDCMan is now updated and part of the Sysinternals family of tools. The 2.8 release fixes CVE-2020-0765, the XML parsing vulnerability. As of May, 2025, RDCMan is in version 3.1.
$0
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere provides help desk technicians a simple, cloud-based, remote-support solution to easily access endpoint devices. It features diagnostic and troubleshooting tools to help resolve issues more quickly. Using a laptop or a mobile app users can access end-device details, running sessions, and deep registry editing capabilities. The user can record sessions, add notes, view reports, and create customized surveys for additional end…N/A
Pricing
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RDCManSolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
Considered Both Products
RDCMan

No answer on this topic

SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
Chose SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere tops Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager and Remote Desktop Protocol. It's feature set far outweighs the competition and is infinitely more secure than RDP.
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere also allows access to other operating …
Features
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
6.4
6 Ratings
21% below category average
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
4.7
14 Ratings
50% below category average
Screen sharing7.04 Ratings8.014 Ratings
File transfer5.36 Ratings5.014 Ratings
Instant message1.02 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication5.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers9.03 Ratings1.010 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session7.55 Ratings9.014 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile5.04 Ratings3.010 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations9.36 Ratings5.013 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management7.34 Ratings00 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard8.03 Ratings5.013 Ratings
Session record5.03 Ratings5.010 Ratings
Annotations4.03 Ratings3.06 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts7.74 Ratings1.010 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control8.04 Ratings3.011 Ratings
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User Ratings
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(6 ratings)
8.0
(14 ratings)
Usability
7.7
(3 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.3
(2 ratings)
8.1
(10 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
As a IT specialist we have some servers we need acces to. I like to use Remote Desktop Connection Manager because it feel like you are on the computer. Is feel very trusted. Some colleagues use the Azure remote desktop version but I always recommend the windows integrated option. We also have our primary business application running on a server so they use a remote desktop connection too to log on to the server.
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SolarWinds
I think for ANY environment it's worth taking it out for a test drive. It's very powerful, especially when using the agent to connect to sessions where the end user doesn't need admin rights but when not in a VDI environment it likely would perform better with its built in functionality to ask for elevation. It is really powerful, even with the ability to run command line scripts without the user seeing (kind of a built in psexec) and it does work with Mac and Linux to some degree too so it really is worth trying out regardless of your environment. It may be just what you're looking for and the sales folks at DRE are not pushy at all, at least in my experience, and give great advice even at the expense of selling less licenses!
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Pros
Microsoft
  • I can see previews of all the machines working at the same time.
  • Having all password in one place.
  • Organization of devices based on purpose, configuration, etc.
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SolarWinds
  • Remote control is solid, rarely loses connection
  • Allows for control of the desktop prior to login
  • Allows for scripts to be executed in the background without disturbing users
  • Allows for batch rollout of scripts across multiple machines
  • Allows us to see the end users' desktop - as opposed to RDP
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Cons
Microsoft
  • When trying to connect to a server/machine, and it doesn't connect, there is a "Disconnected" message that is displayed in the thumbnail. There is no information beyond this that explains why the server/machine did/could not connect. It would be helpful to the IT Administrator to know this information, even if Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) kept a log somewhere where this information can be analyzed.
  • There doesn't seem to be an option for connecting to a server that is usually only able to be accessed from a jump server. This will not connect if the server is set up as a server/machine within RDCman. This would be a beneficial feature to have within RDCman. Maybe one of the missing options is to be able to set this in the prospects for the jump server (within the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) window).
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SolarWinds
  • Connectivity to a helpdesk/knowledgebase would be nice feature so users can do self-help
  • Offering a branded version of the client/agent would be a nice touch for businesses
  • A web-only version of the technician console for remote support would be a nice feature
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Usability
Microsoft
As alluded to in previous responses it is a very functional tool. It allows me to do my job quickly and efficiently every single day. There are little to no issues using the connection on a day to day basis. It handles everything you need from a remote connection perspective.
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SolarWinds
It's a good tool overall, but could be better.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
Plenty of information and support online, and with many things it's pretty straight forward for the average tech to navigate and work with. But with most things online you're not the only person that's had the issue before, and using a search engine you should be able to figure it out.
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SolarWinds
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere is an easy to use software package. The manuals are easy to understand, and the installation is simple and straightforward. The Maintenance and support costs are relatively reasonable, and we maintain support and maintenance strictly for the upgrades rather than support. Over the years, SolarWinds has released numerous feature enhancements to the software package, making SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere indispensable on our network.
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
RDCMan outshines TeamViewer in every possible way. It’s fast, more reliable, and easier to use. I have had frequent crashes and issues when using TeamViewer, while none with RDCMan. Screen responsiveness also seems much better with RDCMan versus TeamViewer. I would often experience lag issues when using TeamViewer.
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SolarWinds
We basically selected this for our one of the SolarWinds Project. In that we needed to take remote session and screensharing and do the analysis and troubleshooting. In our initial analysis itself we got the excellent result, and it was too quick. We were very much inspired from this. Later on, we started using SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE) for almost all the projects of SolarWinds. Highly appreciated, thanks team.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • its less time consuming for IT engineers because they have everything on one please
  • less FTE for the tasks
  • Lack of MFA option
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SolarWinds
  • seamless installation of MSI or EXE
  • No Codes to enter when installing agent
  • Agent automatically connects to cloud dashboard
  • our deployment tool has messed up a couple of times, so agents get uninstalled or not installed when this occurs, and we can't see a computer in the dashboard
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ScreenShots

RDCMan Screenshots

Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.22Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.22Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.81

SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE) Screenshots

Screenshot of Fast remote controlScreenshot of Live chatScreenshot of Remote desktop on mobileScreenshot of Reporting engineScreenshot of Secrets vaultScreenshot of Session information details